The present invention relates generally to gas generators and associated apparatus and more particularly to a disposable CO.sub.2 gas generator cartridge which utilizes chemical reactants to generate the CO.sub.2 gas and the vessel in which it is housed for use in a beverage dispenser.
Conventional CO.sub.2 gas cylinders in beverage dispensers are heavy, relatively expensive and available only as returnable, refillable packages. Since such cylinders are under very high pressure, handling also requires appropriate care.
With the trend toward mini-sized and home dispensers for soft drinks, where the syrup packaging is generally one way, it is logistically attractive to make one way CO.sub.2 generators also available. Moreover, certain conventional distribution channels, such as supermarket stores, could only be effectively exploited if one-way gas generators were available. An additional factor is that lay dispenser users are understandably nervous of handling high pressure gas cylinders. High pressure CO.sub.2 capsules, generally containing about 8 g CO.sub.2, are already available, but these are expensive and restricted in practical capacity to a limit of around 16-20 g. They do not, therefore, represent a desired solution, since such quantities are barely sufficient for carbonating two liters of beverage without reckoning the considerable additional CO.sub.2 quantities needed for propulsion of the beverage in the dispenser. Inexpensive, light weight, unpressurized or moderately pressurized CO.sub.2 generators packaged in disposable containers could therefore provide a whole scope of new business opportunities with respect to small sized dispensers designed for non-professional users.
In the above referenced related application, which is meant to be incorporated herein by reference, there is shown and described a plurality of first generation disposable CO.sub.2 gas generators which package reactant chemicals within a system which releases CO.sub.2 at a predetermined pressure on demand, thus allowing the chemicals to be consumed only as and when CO.sub.2 is drawn off, whereby the chemicals react just sufficiently to maintain the required user pressure.